With interest in home baking at an all-time high thanks in part to the phenomenon that is BBC’s Great British Bake Off, the market for baked goods has become immensely competitive. After all, if you don’t think you’d match Mary Berry in the kitchen you can still enjoy anything from a simple cupcake to a slice of showstopper gateau from any café or supermarket.

Reach Food Systems in Somerset manufactures specialist food processing equipment for baked goods producers to help them keep a steady supply of creamy confections on shop shelves. But in an extremely competitive market, Reach need to be at the cutting edge of product innovation to give their own customers a competitive boost.

When Reach needed to redesign their depositor machine, it was SMC they turned to. SMC supply them with complete kits containing everything they need for each individual machine – from air preparation equipment right through to cylinders. The UK and world market leader also helped Reach develop their first machine to use electric actuators rather than pneumatic – for unbeatable accuracy and repeatability.

The result? Increased efficiencies from SMC’s expertise in supplying kits helps Reach Food Group achieve increased output and sales – with more innovative finished machines meaning satisfied customers and a competitive edge. Faster, more reliable automation components in the machines mean Reach’s own customers benefit from reduced downtime, lower cost of ownership and increased production. And, with the finished machines enjoying a long working life, Reach Food Group continue to enjoy a reputation as a supplier of reliable equipment.

Additional benefits of partnering with SMC include being able to call on the expertise of the market leader’s dedicated team of food industry experts, worldwide support thanks to the corporation’s global coverage, and being able to choose from more than 12,000 standard products with over 700,000 variations – as well as the ability to produce bespoke solutions here in the UK.

Samia Sanders, Marketing Manager at Reach Food Group, was enthusiastic about the benefits that working with SMC had brought: “Our growing partnership with SMC has allowed us to develop our equipment both faster and more efficiently than ever before. In particular, the introduction of SMC electric actuation enabled us to enhance our range.

“Since first embarking on a new development program, our partnership means we can now offer a solution to ‘making the whole cake’ – from depositing cake batter using SMC cylinders and valves, right through to coating cakes using their rotary actuators and also portioning, using SMC linear electric actuators.”

Samia continued: “Since introducing SMC into our range, this well-known, global brand has helped us strengthen our position within the market place. Last year we exhibited at IBA in Munich, one of the largest trade and exhibition fairs of its kind, worldwide. We showed most of our range including all of our depositors, transfer pumps and unveiling some equipment for the very first time – but all of it included products from the SMC range.”

Find out more about SMC’s comprehensive range of factory automation solutions on its website: www.smcpneumatics.co.uk or call them on 0845 121 5122.

About us

Established for over 15 years, FMCG focuses on everything from small manufacturers and producers through to national distribution companies, right the way up to the major supermarkets. This breadth of knowledge has enabled the magazine to provide a comprehensive snapshot of the entire industry.